Road indicator



April 7, 1942. E. TEDESCHI I ROAD INDICATOR Filed July 3l, 1939 .5 Sheets-Sheet l ATTORNEYS April 7, 1942 E. TEDESCHI 2,278,905

ROAD INDICATOR INVENTOR ATTORNEYS April 7, 1942. E. TEDESCHI 2,278,905

ROAD INDICATOR Filed July 3l, 1939 5 Sheeets--SheeTl 5 Q E n Cb'n Qn Enr/2L o0 Ted @30h/2l INVENTOR ATTORNEYS April 7, 1942.

E.' TEDESCHI ROAD INDICATOR 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed v July 31, 1939 nr/Jco Ted @5022,27

ATTORNEYS April 7, 1942. A E. TEDESCHI ROAD INDICATOR Filed July 51, 1939 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Enr/co Tedeschi ATTORNEYS Patented Apr. 7, 1942-A UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE non marcaron.

Enrico Tedeschi, Tuckahoe, N. Y.

Anuman my s1, 193s, serum. 287,657

' 'z claims. (ci. zoo-as) My invention relates tol new and useful improvements in road indicators adapted to apprise the driver of an automotive vehicle las to the nature of the route over which he is traveling.

An important object of my invention is the provision of a road indicator that will impart to the motorist the tortuous characteristics of the road before him.

Another object of my invention is the provision of a road indicator that includes an illuminable means that will be lighted when the vehicle is vstill a substantial distance from any curve in the road, to inform the driver of its proximity and the direction of the said curve.

Still another object of my invention is the provision `of la road indicatory that includes l1- luminable means that will remain energized as long as the driver is on the correct route, but

that will be automatically rendered inoperative in the event that the driver, either purposely or through inadvertence, makes s, wrong turn.

Yet another object of my invention is to pro- I various indicia as they are alternately rendered operative and inoperative in accordance with the nature of the road.

A yet further object of my invention is the provision of a road indicator that isefilcientin operation, durable in construction, and inexpensive to manufacture.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the drawings, forming a part of this specification, `and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same,

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a device embodying my invention,

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of my device, looking toward the rear of the housing enclosing the'working parts thereof, showingparts in section and parts in elevation.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of my device, looking toward the front of the said be, indicative of an` arrow'pointing forwardly,

housing, and showing parts in elevation and parts broken away.

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view, taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 3,

- Figure 5 is a vertical sectional the line 5-5 of Figure 3,

Figure 6 is a diagrammatical view illustrating the electrical circuits included in my device and showing their association with the mechanical features which control-the same, and

Figure 7 isl a side elevation, showing parts broken away, of a carriage member embodying a part of my invention.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein for the purpose of illustration, is shown a preferred embodiment of my invention, the numeral I0 designates a housing which encloses and supports the moving parts embodying my invention, and which includes a back wall II, bottom portion I2,and ends I3 and I4. housing is formed with a domed compartment I8 which is diverted into subcompartments I9, 20 and 2| by the vertical closurev walls 22 and 23. To facilitate easy access to the interior of the casing, the front cover I5 is hingedly secured to the top I6 of the domed compartment I8. 'I'he lower portion of the cover bellies outwardly and the lower edge I1 thereof curves inwardly to contiguously meet the bottom plate I2 and engages therewith by a snap catch, or the like. 'I'he portion of the front cover I5 enclosing the compartments I9, 20 and 2| is cut away as at 24,

view, taken on 25 and 26 in a manner whereby the cutaway por- Ation 24 will be indicative of an arrow pointing to the left. The middle cut out'portion 25 will and the portion 25 will indicate an arrow pointing to the right. Each of the compartments I9,

2l and 2| is provided with socket member 21 I which receives a light bulb 2l so that when one of the bulbs 28 is illuminated, the cut out portion 24, 25 or 26 in front of the illuminated compartment will be easily noticed -by the driver of the vehicle. The housing may be mounted on the steering post, or in any convenient position in proximity to the driver, where he may easily notice the arrows 24, 25 and 25ms they are alternately illuminated in accordance with the nature of the road ahead.

The housing I0 is preferably made from a suitable insulated material and the insulated vertical closure walls 29 and 3l are spaced inwardly from the ends I3 and I4. The speedometer cable connection II projects from the bottom I2 of the housing adjacent the rear thereofy and spaced The top I6 of the slightly inwardly from the vertical wall 29, and is adapted to be connected to the speedometer cable, front axle, or the like, by a exible cable (not shown). The inwardly extending end l2 of the connection carries a drive worm screw 33 in mesh with the worm gear 34 which extends through the aligning opening 31 in the wall 2Q, and is loosely mounted for rotation on the transversely positioned shaft I5, the rearward end oi which is journaled in the back wall ll an'd the forward end thereof is supported by the bearing Il which projects outwardly from the vertical wall 29. The ratchet 38 is keyed to the shaft 35 and the dog 39 carried by the worm gear 34 is adapted to engage the peripheral teeth of the said ratchet wheel to impart rotation to the shaft 35 and to the worm screw Ill at the forward end thereof. When reverse rotation is imparted to the cable connection 3l by a backing motion of the vehicle, the dog 3S will not engage the teeth of the ratchet to rotate the shaft 35. A screw conveyer 4| has either end thereof mounted for rotation in the end walls i3 and i4 adje cent the front of the housing and spaced `above the worm 40 so that the worm gear I2, loosely mounted thereon, will mesh with the said wworm and rotate therewith.

The substantially Z-shaped member 43 has the middle portion thereof iournaied 'in the inwardly extending supports 44 and 45', and the end of the transversely extending arm 46 thereof is formed with bifurcations 41 and 4B which embrace the friction clutch 49 slidably keyed to the screw conveyor 4i. The transversely extending lower arm 50 of the member 43 receives the end 5l of the clutch arm 52 which extends longitudinally of the housing adjacent the rear thereof and with the end 53 extending through the vertical wall and bent laterally forwardly to project through the elongated slot 54 .in the front cover I6. Theoutwardly extending end 55 of the clutch arm 52 may be actuated laterally to move the said clutch 49 into and out ol engagement with the worm gear 42. The clutch arm 52 is formed with a protuberance 13 which will be engaged by the pivoted catch 14 when the clutch arm is in the inner position and the clutch 4B in frictional engagement with the worm gear 42. The end l5 of the catch 14 extends a substantial distance beyond its pivot point and is of sumcient weight to maintain the said catch in engagement with the protuberance 13 against the resilient action of the coil spring 16 which is interposed between the vertical bearing l1 and collar 18. The clutch arm may be manually released by the pin 'I9 which is positioned in the bottom portion I2 of the housing and under the end 15 of the catch 14,. When the pin 'Il is pushed upwardly into engagement with the catch, the end 15 thereof will be pivoted upwardly to release the clutch arm and to permit the coil spring Il to move the clutch 49 out of engagement with the worm gear 42.

When the clutch is in close frictional engagement with the worm gear, vmotion will be transmitted to the screw conveyer 4I and to the pinion IO which meshes with the circular gears 51 and lil which are carried by the transverse shafts Il and M adjacent the inner side of the vertical wall 2U. The drums 6I and 62 are formed on the inner faces of the circular gears 51 and 58 and frictionally engage the end recesses 63 in the cylinders 64 and B5 to impart rotation thereto. The other ends o! the cylinders 64 and 85 are supported by the spring actuated plungers B5 and B1 mounted in the end I4 of the housing. and the knobs il and Bil thereoi.l may be manually retracted to withdraw the Shanks 'In and 1I from the central recesses in the inwardly spaced end walls 'l2 of the cylinders. It will be noted that the transverse wall 12 adjacent either end o! the cylinders are provided with central recesses which receive the spring actuated plungers 1I and 1I, and are positioned inwardly from the extremities thereof so that the cylinders may be reversibly positioned in the housing. By setting the walls 'l2 inwardly from the extremities of the cylinders eitherend thereof will receive the drums li and E2.

As hereinbeiore described the screw conveyor 4l is equidistantly spaced from the peripheries oi the cylinders and i5 and the carriage Il is threadedly received thereon and includes latorally' extending arms M and B2, the extremities of which are arcuately formed and maintained in spaced superjacent relation to the said cylinders. The electrical contact levers B3 and It are pivot ally supported by the bifurcations `l5 and N extending laterally from the carriage 1W `and the upper ends thereof are formed with knobs l1 and 8B which are held in close frictlonal engagement with the peripheries of the cylinders by leaf springs BB and B0. The knobs Bl and M :are received in elongated slots il and 92 in the arms 8l and B2 and the cover l5 is provided with elongated openlngs 83 and 94 comprising windows through which the driver oi the vehicle observes the relationyof the arms to the cylinders and which enable him to properly set the device in accordance with his position along the route. The middle portioncof the carriage is provided with an indicating mark such as the arrow which may be observed throughthe elongated slot I6 positioned intermediate of the openings Il and B4 and the web Bllbetween the slot Il and opening 94 is suitably calibrated, as at Il, to apprise the driver of the distance which he has traveled. Inasmuch as the device is actuated by the speedometer cable, the calibrations Il may be uniquely spaced in accordance with 'the speedometer reading so that as the carriage moves longitudinally along the screw conveyer, the movement therealong will be directly proportional to the distance traveled by the vehicle.

The electrical bus wires I! and H0 slldably receive the bifurcations II and I6 of the carriage IU and hold the contacts Il and I4 in pivotal relation therewith. The ends of the bus wires are supported by the vertical wall 3l and the supporting members lill and |02 respectively. The inwardly extending ends |02 and ID3 of the contact levers Il and I4 are maintained in spaced parallelism with the peripheries of the cylinders and the extremities thereof are normally engaged with the bus wires il4 and Ill, the ends of which are received -by the vertical walls 2l and Il o! the housing. The bus wires IIS and lll are similarly supported by the end walls and are positioned intermediate of the contact leven Il and l4'but spaced therefrom in a manner whereby they may be contacted by the said levers when the knobs l1 and Il of the contacts I3 or I4 engage any of the concavltles I4' or il' ln the peripheries of the cylinders 64 or Il. When the ends ll2 or Ill of the contact levers are engaged with the bus wires |04 or IBI, they will not engage the Vbus wires IUI or Ill, and conversely, when they are engaged with the bus wires lll and |01, they will be disengaged from the bul wires |04 or lli.

The master switch |33 is supported by the bottom portion I2 of the housing at substantially the middle thereof and is actuated by the laterally extending arm |03 carried by the clutch arm 32. When the clutch arm is in the released position,

. so that the clutch 43 will vbe disengaged from the worm wheel 42, the spring 13 will ,force the end direct the same straight ahead. the steering post of the arm |09 against'the angular clip ||3 of the switch to move the contact arms and I2 to the open position', and conversely, when the end 55 of the clutch arm is moved laterally to bring the clutch into engagement with the worm wheel 42 the arm |03 will engage the clip ||3 to move the contact arms and ||2 into the closed posi.- tion, as illustrated in Figure 6.

The conductors ||3 and ||4 are connected to any suitable source of power. When the knobs 31 and 33 of the contact levers 33 and 34 are frictionally engaging the unbroken peripheries of the cylinders 34 and 55, the ends |02 and |03 thereof will be in engagement with the bus wires |04 and |05 so that the current may travel from the switch ann along the conductors ||1, ||3 and I|9 to the bus wire |03 where it will be transferred to the contact lever 34 andf'bus wire |05. The conductor |20 connects the bus wire |05 with the lamp 23 in the middle compartment 20 of the housing. The conductors |2| and |22 connect the middle lamp 23 with the bus wire |04 which is electrically connected to the bus wire 99 by the contact lever 33, and from the bus wire 99, `the current may proceed along the conductors |23, |24 and |25, to the switch arm ||2, and back to the source through the connecticn |I4. It may thus be seen that when the master switch is. closed and the contact levers frictionally engaging the unbroken peripheries of the cylinders, the middle lamp 23 will be energized to illuminate the middle arrow 25.

If the driver of the vehicle makes a wrong turn to the right or left, either purposely to obtain gas, or through inadvertence, the switch arm |23 mounted 01:1I the steering wheel will be moved either to the right or left to engage the points |30 or |3| of the contact ring |32. If it is assumed that a right hand turn is made before the device indicates that such a turn should be made, the normally open steering post switch |32 will be closed and the contact arm |29 will engage the point |30 to close a circuit at this point. The current will now be able to'fiow from the conductor ||1 along the conductor |33 throughthe normally closed pivoted switch arm |34, along the conductor |35 and through the electromagnet |33 to energize the same., From the magnet |33 the current will be carried by the conductor |31 to the closed steering post switch |32 and along the conductors |33 and |25 to the switch arm 2. By energizing theY electromagnet |33, the arm |39 of the pivoted Z-shaped lever |40 will bepulled downwardly into contact with the point |4| of the magnet and the lower arm |42 of the said lever will be pivoted upwardly to release the catch 14 and to permit the coil spring 13 to move the clutch arm 52 into the nonengaging position. As the coil spring 13 forces the clutch arm into this position, the clutch 49 will be disengaged from the worm wheel 42 and the laterally extending arm |09 will engage the clip ||3 of the-master switch |03 to open the same. When this occurs, both the mechanical and electrical features of the entire device will be rendered inoperative switch |32 will be open so that the electromagnet |33 will be deenergized vto release the Z-shaped lever |43. The operator may then reset the device by manually actuating the clutch arm 32 in a manner wherebythecatch 14 will engage the protuberance 13, the clutch 43 will once more engage the worm gear 42, andv the middle lamp 23 will again 'be energized. l

The concavities 34' and 33 in the cylinders 34 and 35 are uniquely positioned so that the. knob 31 of the contact lever 33 will drop into one of the concavities in the cylinder 34 when the vehicle is approximately 100 ieet from a right curve in the road, and the knob 33 of the contact lever 34 will drop into a concavity in the .cylinder- 35" when the vehicle is approximately 100 feet from a left hand turn in the road. When the knob 31 of the contact lever 33 drops into a concavity 34' in the periphery of the cylinder 34 to indicatea right turnl the end |02 thereof will be pivoted into engagement with the bus wire |33 so that' the middle lamp 23 will be extinguished and the current will flow through the conductor ||3, switch arm conductors ||1 conductor |23. From the right lamp 23 the current will follow the conductors |21 and |23 to the bus wire |03 where it will be conducted by the contact lever 33 to the bus wire 93 and along the conductors |23, |24 and |23 to the switch arm H2 and back' to the source through the conductor |4. It may thus be seen that the middle lamp 23 will be extinguished and the right lamp 23 will be energized to illuminate the right arrow 23. The right lamp 23 will be energized a; considerable distance before it is actually necessary to make the turn, and the current will divide at the point |43 and follow the conductor |44 to the coil |43 in the relay |43 to energize the same. From the relay the current will follow the conductor |41 and |23 to the bus wire |03 then in engagement with the contact lever, 33. From the contact lever 33 the current will flow through the bus wire 33 to theconductor |23 and along the conductors |24 and |23 to the main switch |03. The energization of the relay |43 will pull the contact arm |34 into engagementwith the contact |43 oi the said relay to lbreak the circuit leadingto the steering post switch |32. It may thus be seen that when a right hand turn is indicated that the steering post circuit will be broken so that when the turn is actually made and the arm |23 engages the contact ring |32 the device will not be rendered inoperative. After the turn has been made the concurring rotation of the cylinder and movement of carriage 30 along the screw conveyer 4| will move the knob 31 -out oi' engagement with the said concavity so that the end |32 will be pivoted out o! engagement with the bus wire |03 and once more into engagement with the bus wire |04 to deenergize the right lamp 23 and once'more illuminate the middlev lamp.

'I'he cylinder 33 controls the left hand turns and when a concavity in its periphery aligns and the driver will be at once made aware of this f fact by the extinguishing of the normally` energized middlelamp 23. If the mistake were made with the knob 33 ot the contact lever 34, the end |03 thereof will dlsensase from the bus wire |03 and move into engagement with the bus wire I" so that the current will pass through the switch arm lli and iiow through the conductors III, III, ill to the bus wire Il. where it will tollowthecontactleverlltothebuswire Ill. Promtbebuswire Il1thecurrentwillbe carried by the conductors l and lll to the left lamp 2l and along the conductors ill, III, III and l!! tothe switch arm Il! o! the master switch Il.. At the point III the current will divide and followtheconducwr Illtotheeoil illofthe relay l to ener-gine the same. Prom the relay the current will follow the conductor llt, in, I2I,and lll totheswitcharm Il! oithemaster switch III. When the relay l is energized by the coil III the pivotal contact arm Il( will be pulled downwardly to break the circuit at the steering post and to permit the turn to be made without the device being rendered inoperative.

One of the features of the present invention yresides in the provision oi means whereby the cylinders 04 and Il may be reversely used in the housing. Let us assume that the cylinder N is used to indicate the right turns and the cylinder Il is used to indicate the left .turns on the outgoing trui. 'I'he iront cover- I6 of the housing may be opened and the spring pressed plungers fll and il may be retracted to release the cylinders Il and Il' and to permit them to be disenf mcd from the actuating drums Il and I2. For

the return trip the carriage il should be returned to the initial starting position, the cylinder M will be reversed end for end and positioned on the drums l! and the cylinder $5 will be reversed end for end and positioned on the drum Il. It may thus be seen that if the cylinders were initially positioned as illustrated in Figure 6, and the last turn prior to reaching the destination on the outgoing trip 'were a left hand turn one mile from the destination, that if the cylinders Il and Il were reversably positioned and reversed end for end the ilrst indicia oi' the device on the return trip would be when the knob I'I of the contact arm ll engaged the concavity in the cylinder i approximately one mile along the return trip to indicate a right hand turn.

'l'he handle Ill is keyed to the screw conveyer III and positioned exteriorly oi' the end wall Il of the housing so that if the clutch I! becomes disengaged from the loosely mounted worm gear 42 and the timing of the device be erroneous the handle Ill may be manually rotated to selectively position the carriage 80 at the correct position along the cylinders 64 and l5. After the outgoing trip has been completed and the travellers are ready to begin the return trip the carriage may be manually rotated to the initial position and when the cylinders have been reversely positioned in the manner hereinbefore described the device will be reset for the return trip. 'I'he cylinders 64 and l may be formed to correspond to any particular section of the road and should be properly marked to indicate what portions they are adapted to cover. Under ordinary .conditions the cylinders may be formed to function for a trip of iive or six hundred miles. As

illustrated in Figure 2, the cylinders il and It are provided with diametrically opposed notches |88 at one end with spaced notches Il! and I at the other end thereof. The drum il is provided with laterally extending pina adapted to receive the single slots and the drum 82 is provided with spaced pins received within the spaced slots Ill and |60. This provision will make it impossible to get the cylinders in the reverse cameos rangement oi parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of my invention, or the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a road indicator for motor vehicles, synchronously rotatable cylinders having a plurality ot concavities in their outer surfaces, pivoted contacts having one end normally held in frietional engagement with the said cylinders, means to simultaneously progressively move the said contacts longitudinally of the said cylinders, bus bars normally engaged by the other ends of the contacts for the full extent of their travel, and bus bars normally spaced from the said pivoted contacts, for the i'ull extent of their travel, movement oi the mst-mentioned ends of the contacts into register with the concavities in the cylinder surfaces effecting pivoting of the contacts whereby the said second ends will disengage from the said first bus bars and engage with the said second' bus bars.

2. In a road indicator for motor vehicles, synchronously rotatable cylinders having a plurality of concavities in their outer surfaces, a pivoted contact lever arranged adjacent each of the cylinders, each o! said levers having one end normally held in Irictional engagement with its respective cylinder, means to simultaneously progressively move the said contact levers longitudinally of the said cylinders, and a bus bar normally spaced from the opposite ends of each of the said pivoted contact levers for the full extent of their travel, said bus bars being engaged by the mentioned ends oi the contact levers when pivotal actuation of the levers is `effected by movement of the first-mentioned ends into register with a concavity in the cylinder surfaces.

3. A road indicator for motor vehicles, rotatable companion cylinders having a plurality of concavities in their outer peripheries, drive means operatively connected with the cylinders and adapted to synchronously rotate the same, a screw conveyer spaced from the said cylinders and rotated by the said drive means, a carriage carried by the screw conveyer and having arms movable longitudinally along each of the said cylinders, a contact lever pivotally mounted on site ends of the said contact arms i'or the full extent of their travel, and bus bars normally spaced from the last-mentioned ends oi' the contact levers for the full extent of their travel, movement of the mst-mentioned ends of the levers into register with the concavities in the peripheries of the cylinders eiIecting pivoting of the contact levers to move the second-mentioned ends thereof out of engagement with the first bus bars and into engagement with the said second bus bars.

4. A `road indicator for motor vehicles, rotatable companion cylinders having a plurality of concavities in their outer peripheries, drive means operatively connected with the cylinders to synchmnously rotate the same, a carriage having arms, means cooperative with the drive means for moving the carriage longitudinally along the lsaid cylinders, contact levers pivotally mounted on the said carriage arms and with one end in ed on the said carriage arms and with one end in spring pressed engagement with the said cylinders, bus bars disposed laterally of the said cylinders and normally engaging the said contact levers for the full extent of 'their travel, and

bus bars normally spaced from the said contact levers for the full extent of their 'travel and mally held in frictional engagement with its respective cylinder, means to simultaneously and progressively move the said contact levers longitudinally of the cylinders, and a bus bar normally engaged by the opposite ends of each oi! the said pivoted contact levers for the full extent of their travel, said bus bars being disengaged from the mentioned ends ofthe contact levers when pivotal actuation of the levers is effected by movement of the first-mentioned ends into register with the said concavities in the cylinder surfaces.

7. In a road indicator for motor vehicles, rotatable companion cylinders having a plurality of concavities inV their outer peripheries, drive means operatively connected with the cylinders to synchronously rotate the same, a carriage having arms, means cooperative with the drive means for moving the carriage longitudinally along the cylinders, contact levers pivotally mounted on the carriage arms and with one end in spring pressed engagement with the cylinders, flat bars disposed laterally of the cylinders and normally adapted to be contacted thereby when the spring pressed ends thereof register with concavities in the cylinders. Y

6. In a road indicator for motor vehiclesl synchronously rotatable cylinders having a plurality of concavities in their outer surfaces, a pivoted contact lever arranged adjacent each of the cylinders, each of said levers having one end norengaging' the other ends of the contact levers for the full extent of their travel, and` bus bars normally spaced from the contact levers for the l'ull extent of their travel and adapted to be contacted thereby only when the spring pressed ends thereof register with concavities in the cylinders.

ENRICO TEDESCHI. 

